Monday, November 11, 2013

Des Moines will see Jeff Timmons transition from a successful boy
band member to host of a traveling, Vegas-bound all-male revue as Men of
the Strip struts through Lotus Moments Event Center tonight.

Timmons,
of 98 Degrees, will host Men of the Strip, which he also founded in
conjunction with Emmy-nominated choreographer Glenn Douglas Packard. In
addition to the expected all-male-revue antics, Timmons will revive a
few of his group’s tunes as well as a new solo single.

In addition
to stage shows, the Men of the Strip tour is being filmed for a
behind-the-scenes reality TV series that will feature the show and
introduce the eight performers, who range from a radiology technologist
from Cambridge, Mass., to a minor-league ballplayer-turned-Latin soap
star from the Dominican Republic. At a future, as-of-yet undetermined
date, the tour will morph into a full-on stage show with dancing,
acrobatics and aerial elements as Men of the Strip takes up residency at
a major casino in Las Vegas.

We caught up with Timmons on the
road to talk about the creation of Men of the Strip. We also talked
about his summer spent with 98 Degrees on the 49-stop Package Tour with
Boyz II Men and New Kids on the Block.

How does one go from a Boy Band and solo artist to an all-male revue? How did this idea come to fruition?

I
know it’s an interesting concept especially because I was just on the
package tour, but a few years ago I was asked to host the Chippendales. I
thought that was career suicide. My wife said, “Have you ever seen a
show like this?” So she encouraged me to check it out. It’s actually
very entertaining and exciting. I went and did the Chippendales. That
was one of Vegas’ highest-grossing sales that year. The formula was a
success because a lot of the 98 Degrees fans were younger fans. They’re
now in their 30s to 40s. I thought, What if I create a younger, hipper,
more rock and roll version of this? I teamed up with choreographer Glenn
Douglas Packard who has worked with such amazing artists as Michael
Jackson and Usher, and we decided to create a new, cool version of it.

How has the tour been so far?

It’s
been interesting. The first night was in Dallas, and I think the local
media and even fans, they didn’t know what to expect. I think they’re
thinking these guys are going to get naked and ... it’s not like that.

What can people expect if they attend the Men of the Strip event in Des Moines?

For
this part of the show we’re doing it’s just a taste of what the Vegas
show will be... introducing the public to these guys and their
individual brands as well as our overall brand and our TV show, which is
about interesting guys who are incredible dancers. I do primary 98
Degrees hits on stage as well as a new single I have coming out. The
show is not over the top or dirty. They really just take their shirts
off. They’re just dancing; it’s a sexier version of a boy band. They get
up and have a good time.

How does Men of the Strip vary from the traditional male revue?

I
think it’s a younger version of that. With this project we went to four
cities to try out guys for the show, and the majority of them have
never danced before. We wanted to find guys that were younger, fresher,
cooler. We are going for younger choreography, and a sleeker, thinner
look. The Chippendales dancers look like body builders and we were
trying to get away from that. It’s translating well with the audiences
from what I’m noticing so far.

What is the long-term plan for Men of the Strip beyond this initial tour?

Ultimately
we’re going to do this promotional tour, introduce these guys to the
nation and get them acclimated to what the brand is. We’re filming a
reality show for a great major network; I can’t share which one yet, as
they’re planning a big announcement. Then we’re going to land the show
in Las Vegas. It will have a residency in Las Vegas at a major casino
and we’re excited about that.

You spent the summer with 98
Degrees on the Package Tour with New Kids on the Block and Boyz II Men.
What was that experience like?

The Package Tour was amazing.
Throughout the last decade plus the 98 Degrees guys have been doing
their own thing and experiencing success in their own regards. It was an
enormous amount of fun for us. It was a lot less pressure for us than
we had back in the day. It was a real blessing.

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